Meet Kristi Stanton of The Perfect Playdate in Clear Lake

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristi Stanton.

Kristi, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
After working for years as a family therapist, I had the opportunity to be a stay at home mom. Becoming a stay at home mom put me into a new world. I loved spending time with my child but also found that I needed connection with other moms for support and sometimes just to have a grown-up conversation! So, I began the circuit of playdates, mom’s groups, children’s museums, parks, libraries, and coffee shops. We made a lot of great friends and had a lot of fun. However, I noticed that we often ran into the same type of situation where we would have to go somewhere that was just for the child to have fun (and often left the parent exhausted) or just for the grown up to be comfortable (and the children were bouncing off the walls). I wondered why there wasn’t a place that was designed for both. A place where the kids can play in an imaginative way and the parent can see that her child is happy so that she can sit down in a comfortable environment and enjoy her time there as well. Since I didn’t find a place that really fit what I was looking for, (and with lots of prompting from mom friends!), I decided to create it. The Perfect Playdate. It has been a real education and adventure for the last couple of years. With the support of my family and great friends this mom’s dream finally became a reality when we opened in December 2016. We’ve gotten such a warm welcome from so many people in the community. And great ideas too! I’m really excited about all of the possibilities of how we can grow to support families and have a lot of fun doing it!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Well, it has been a real education transitioning from a stay at home mom to a business owner. I spent a lot of time learning about the nuts and bolts of starting a business from scratch. There are always hurdles that get thrown in front of you that you have to figure out as you go. For example, I had negotiated for what I thought was going to be a great location for the business and was just about to sign the lease when the landlord told me that I wouldn’t be able to sell coffee at this location because they had an agreement with a coffee shop in another part of the center. Not only did I have clear feedback from people that they wanted gourmet coffee but my logo actually has a coffee cup in it! So, it was back to searching for a location again. Then there were all the hurdles that come along with dealing with construction and permits and marketing and a thousand other things. I just had to stay persistent deal with one thing at a time and remember the words of one of my mentors that “If it was easy, everyone would do it!”. One of the more personal struggles for me has been balancing working again and being a mom at the same time. Fortunately, I work in a very kid friendly environment!

So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into The Perfect Playdate story. Tell us more about the business.
The Perfect Playdate is an indoor play cafe that focuses on the comfort of the grown up as much as the joy of the child. We are split in two halves. In one half, we have an imagination inspiring playroom including a 2-story castle, jungle gym, stage with costumes and musical instruments, an interactive BEAM system that projects games on the floor that the kids interact with. We have lots of toys that we switch out from week to week so that things stay fresh. We also have an outdoor patio with ride on vehicles, water play, and a sand table. In the second half, we have a gourmet coffee shop with the most fabulous lattes, iced coffee, fraps and a cafe with comfortable seating for the grownups and healthy menu options (We do not fry anything!), free wi-fi, and positive grown up music in the background.

We do customized birthday parties for kids that go above and beyond the typical one size fits all type birthday. We have different packages to meet parent’s needs and will help you build a package that is right for you including decorations, catering, and even set ups for BYOB. A Play Buddy can help host the party all the way from set up to serving food and clean up. The Play Buddy can even play with the kids on the playground which is uncommon to kids play places. We have so much fun with these and get to be really creative. For one Star Wars theme party the Play Buddy came dressed as a Jedi knight to play with the kids. For a Harry Potter party, we put a Hogwarts banner on our castle and hid a golden snitch for the kids to find. We do special appearances by characters like Mickey Mouse, Batman, or a princess.

We also do structured playdates throughout the week. Playdates can be anything from toddler story time, to arts & crafts, science experiments, games with a super hero, baking playdates, cardboard box building… The possibilities are endless! There are also special events like Tea Parties with a Princess, Play time for children with Autism or sensory needs, wine tastings, hide and seek with Where’s Waldo? visits from super heroes, and more. We’re working on getting our first craft beer tasting scheduled. We’ve recently installed a great projector in one of the private rooms so we are doing free movie nights every weekend.

One thing that sets us apart from other play places is that we really focus on the comfort of the grown up. We are designed to be “neighborhood size” so that parents don’t have to run all over the place wondering where their child is. You can see that your child is right there playing so that you can sit down and relax, maybe have a conversation with a friend or get some work done on your laptop. We try to think of little things that will make the parent’s visit more pleasant. We have a kid temp on our espresso machine so little one’s hot chocolate doesn’t burn their mouth. We have a baby bottle setting too in case you need milk warmed quickly. All of the snacks displayed at child level are healthy snacks like real juice pouches or grape and fruit cups so the kids aren’t begging for the candy bar right under their nose. We are BYOB and have a bunch of grown up board and card games so moms and dads can come order dinner and have a nice time together while the kids are on the playground. Our customer service also is a step above. We make extra effort to be helpful to parents whenever we can. Like, if we see a mom coming in with a stroller then we run out and hold the doors for her. If it’s raining, we take you to your car under an umbrella while you’re loading up the kids. If you have two kids and need to take the baby to the bathroom to change a diaper, we’ll keep an eye on the older one until you get back. And we LOVE holding babies while you rummage for something in the diaper bag! I like to think of The Perfect Playdate as an Back Next extension of my home. So, while you are here I want you to be as comfortable as having a playdate at a friend’s house – without one of you having to clean up when it’s time to go!

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
The biggest stroke of luck I’ve had in this business is finding our managers Jerrica and Jerry. Jerrica is our Creative Manager and she has years of experience in customer service, event coordination, and working with kids. She has a genuine passion for creating fun experiences for children and adults alike and is truly one of the most creative people I’ve ever met. Jerry is our Store Manager and he’s had years of experience opening and managing restaurants so he’s well versed in all aspects of running a great cafe. He’s also the dad to a beautiful little girl and has no problem playing dress up and helping with kids throughout the day. Plus, they are both just really nice people who are committed to making this place successful and having fun at the same time. Things can get pretty silly around here and I hope that the fun that we have as a team is evident in the connections that we make with our customers.

Pricing:

• Open Play: Walker $8
• Open Play: Sibling $6
• Open Play: Crawler $5

Contact Info:

• Address: 463 Bay Area Blvd.
  Houston, TX 77058
• Website: www.ThePerfectPlaydate.com
• Phone: 832-224-4443
• Email: info@theperfectplaydate.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/1628025464101116/the-perfect-playdate/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/theperfectplaydate
• Twitter: @TPP_TX
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-perfect-playdate-houston-3
• Other: https://www.google.com/maps/place/The+Perfect+Playdate/@29.5508316,-95.1296121,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x86409c8a02f9486d:0xdabc18528988cc4e!8m2!3d29.550827!4d-95.1274234